Every Halloween there are hundreds of different horror films to choose from. Whether it is the latest offers at the multiplex or on home video, it is often tough to choose a suitable film list to occupy your time during the horror fan’s holiday. This is made all the more complicated by the horror blitz that most studios usher in throughout September and October. In order to help you sift through all the clutter, I offer you my personal top ten list of horror films to watch on the holiday. By no means definitive, this is simply a list of the top ten horror films I will be entertaining this October 31st. Enjoy!

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10. Night of the Demons

There is nothing like seeing Linnea Quigley inserting a bottle of lipstick into her nipple to get the party started. Night of the Demons is a fun little gem, ripe for play on the eve of fall disarray. If trick or treating is a ritual to expel demons, then Night is the film that unleashes them. Every Halloween night must have some sort of demon unleashed, and Night of the Demons does so in a fun party setting. It is a nice bit of late eighties visual style, and who can’t appreciate the celebration of superstitions and scares with the opening animation sequence?

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9. Popcorn

Another party film like Night of the Demons, Popcorn instead has a group of film geeks arranging an ultimate movie night. Alan Ormsby’s film has fun riffing some of the older gimmick films of the past, and the movie theatre setting lends perfectly to your own Halloween movie night. It really is the perfect party film, making as much a part of the audience as all the people sitting in the Popcorn theater seats. And it has Jamaican music.

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8. Troll 2

Every Halloween night needs a good bad movie, and boy do the blokes from Nilbog deliver. Troll 2 succeeds so well at being awful it truly is in a class of its own. Just when you think the movie can’t get more preposterous it outdoes itself, whether it is Grandpa Seth stopping time and convincing his grandson to urinate on the supper table, Joshua discovering the big revelation that Nilbog is actually you-know-what spelled backwards or a man being seduced by the power of corn on the cob. The whole film has a storybook quality for it, like one of those run-on campfire stories that are entertained so much in Halloween lore. Witches, goblins and vegetables…three of the 31st’s scariest concoctions, all in one tasty Nilbog package.

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7. Zombie

Another great film for a Halloween party is Lucio Fulci’s original Zombiefest. High on gore and low on plot, this is the perfect film to infuse the background with a nice sense or morbid horror celebration. Chat with some friends, gag together at the eye gouge scene, and revel in all the sloppy goodness of Eurohorror. No Halloween night is complete without Zombies, and considering all the play that Dawn of the Dead has been getting lately, Zombie is the perfect alternative.

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6. The Haunting (1963)

Here is a film that works for its scares, one that relies on the unseen and the power of the imagination to truly frighten. The Haunting plays best in small audiences, so if you are all alone on Halloween night, there is little better than popping this black and white chiller in your player. Even more prolific than Zombies and demons, ghosts have been one of the driving foundation of horror, whether it be Poe or William Castle. Celebrate the horror that is both nowhere and everywhere at once. Ghosts rule.

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5. Shivers

And now we move into some distinctly Canadian horror. David Cronenberg’s Shivers is not his best film, but it is one with the most unkempt energy and humor. A modern meditation on the Zombie film, it leaves nothing sacred. The infecting virus shoots itself up a woman’s vagina, is vomited from the top floor of a high rise building onto senior citizens and is cultivated in a rape scene of sorts by a mad doctor within the first five minutes. The pacing is quick, especially for Cronenberg, and it makes for good blood curdling Halloween horror.

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4. Ginger Snaps

If Shivers is Canada’s take on the Zombie film, then Ginger Snaps is Canada’s werewolf picture. The film encapsulates that late fall atmosphere so well, with parched leaves and orange skies infiltrating all the werewolf madness. Monster films are required horror viewing, and few fit the Halloween aesthetic as well as Ginger Snaps. Not only that, but the film is laced with wit and intelligence, envisioning werewolf lore as a metaphor for female sexuality. If there is one thing nearly as prolific as monsters in horror, it is brooding female teenagers. Definitely a Halloween treat worth biting into.

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3. Deranged

The fall can be full of leaves, but in Canada it is often full of snow. Deranged uses that snowy atmosphere to create a truly bizarre little movie. It is the Canuxized version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with the snowy Ontario locations as stand-ins for the dry south, and Ezra Cobb in the place of Leatherface. Like any version of the Ed Gein story, there is ample mask wearing, which seems right at home on Hallows’eve. For all those sick of those idealized portraits of Halloweenwith the warm fall colors and orange pumpkins, take a trip up north with Deranged. The best thing is…the cold stays on the screen.

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2. Terror Train

Finally released on DVD this fall, Terror Train is prime fodder for Halloween viewing. It takes place at a huge costume party, where everyone from Groucho Marx to David Copperfield makes an appearance. The killer switches costumes after each murder, so it is like a costume parade for all those wishing to stay home on the night of the ghouls. Not only are there costumes, but there is also some wonderfully excessive magic sequences with a shameless Copperfield, perfect for a night based around imagination and black magic. Not only is Terror Train a classic slasher film and one that really gets the Halloween feel right, but it also serves as a great lead in to the inevitable Halloween mainstay…

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1. Halloween

Year after year, you just can’t beat John Carpenter’s Halloween as the fall’s seminal seasonal shocker. Boogeymen, masks, pumpkins, pranks, trick or treating, late night horror film watching and Blue Oyster Cult, are all exploited to create the ultimate summation of this great holiday. Everything about this movie is perfect, and the story’s similicity gives you even more opportunity to take it all in. This film is seeped in atmosphere, from the infamous opening panaglide shot, to the final breaths of Michael Myers. Never has a time and a feeling been evoked so well with imagery as it has been with Halloween. With a simple be all end all title like "Halloween", the film will be all you need this coming October 31st.

eric_angelus

10-26-2004, 04:38 AM

Great list. Pretty close to my own...I especially like the inclusion of Terror Train!

indiephantom

10-26-2004, 05:19 AM

Nice list. I have to get Terror Train soon.

Hellbilly

10-26-2004, 06:52 AM

Keep on pimpin Troll 2, rhett! Hopefully more people will check it out and enjoy :)

Guyver99

10-26-2004, 08:07 AM

I never thought I would see a Troll movie make any Halloween Top 10 list. :D

You have some eclectic tastes, Rhett. I probably would've had Halloween, Zombie on mine...and maybe Ginger Snaps. :)

frightfan

10-26-2004, 08:41 AM

Here is my own list in no particular order, and just off the top of my head:

Hellraiser
The Ring (2002)
Halloween
The Others
The Howling
The Hunger
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974 preferably, but the remake is decent too)
Night of the Demons
The Monster Squad (wishful thinking - it's OOP these days)
... and the grand-daddy of them all - Night of the Living Dead (1968)

bschulte

10-26-2004, 04:12 PM

My list is more similar to frightfan's than rhett's, but to each his own. My personal faves for Halloween would be (in no real order):

10. Waxwork
9. Lost Boys
8. Dawn of the Dead (orig.)
7. Cat People (1942)--for a little class. And where the heck is this DVD?
6. Ginger Snaps
5. Suspiria
4. Day of the Dead
3. Army of Darkness--for a little crass
2. The Monster Squad--Again, where is the DVD? Would have been a great Halloween release.
1. Evil Dead 2. Perfect mix of horror and humor to watch before I go out that night. I alwasy end that film in a good mood.

Great lists so far.

horror addict

10-26-2004, 06:09 PM

Well, off the top of my head, my list would probably be:

1. Halloween/Halloween 2-It's just not halloween without Michael Myers. I know this is cheating but how can you watch Halloween, without following it with part 2?
2. A Nightmare On Elm Street-Nothing like Freddy Kreuger dragging girls up walls and making blood fountains out of beds to get me in the holiday spirit. :evil: "Whatever you do, don't fall asleep!"
3. Friday The 13th Part 6-I had to include Jason, and this is my personal favorite of the sequels.
4. The Shining-Nothing beats The Shining when it comes to mood and suspense. "Wendy, give me the bat, I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm just going to bash your brains in, I'm going to bash 'em right the fuck in!"
5. The Exorcist-Freaky as all hell, and with great performances, this movie gets to me, and I'm not even a religious man. "The power of Christ compels you!"
6. Event Horizon-This is a personal favorite, that I think has one of the coolest depictions of Hell ever in film.
7. Hellraiser/Hellraiser 2-Speaking of cool depictions of Hell, they don't come much cooler than these two. I know, I'm cheating again, but I couldn't pick the one I like more. "We have eternity, to know your flesh!"
8. Re-Animator-Another of my favorite gore comedies, and how can you not love the scene where Barbara Crampton gets pleasured by the decpaitated head of John Kerry, oops, I mean David Gale. :D
9. Return Of The Living Dead- One of my favorite gore comedies, and is tied with Shaun Of The Dead as my favorite zombie comedy. "Brainnnsssss!"
10. Creepshow 2-The Raft is my personal favorite story of both movies, and I also love the Hitchhiker. I love that idiot who decides to try to get laid in the middle of a life threatening situation, and costs the girl her life, and later when that same idiot gets away and then taunts the monster, and that costs him HIS life. What a dumbass. :lol: "Thanks for the ride lady!"

bachmann

10-26-2004, 06:48 PM

Heres mine in no order.

1. maniac: I love this movie and any chance i get to see it i go for it.

2. Dawn of the dead: Ive been saving the extended edition on the UE for halloween night.

3. Creature from the black lagoon: Great movie and i just got the legacy col. plus its been awhile since i saw this.

4. The Thing(remake): ive watched this every halloween i can remember and who am i to break a tradition.

5. Psycho: R.I.P. Janet Lee.

6. Deep Red: well i have to have an Argento flick on the list plus its been awhile since i saw this last.

1. Night of the Living Dead - I've come to realise it is the best horror film of all time.
2. Bram Stoker's Dracula
3. Halloween 4
4. Shaun of the Dead - these dudes know their genre to a fucking T!
5. Sleepy Hollow
6. Freddy vs. Jason - two birds with one stone
7. Texas Chainsaw Massacre'03 - debated over which version but went with the new one to spite the haters :D
8. Dawn of the Dead'04 - see comments for TCM
9. Messiah of Evil :D - still waiting for it to be properly released on DVD!!!
10. Ed Wood - To lighten things up

Workshed

10-26-2004, 07:58 PM

Good call on Creepshow. Forgot about that one.

krugerkid13

10-26-2004, 10:46 PM

dont have a paricular list just too many to choose from

Noto

10-26-2004, 11:14 PM

8. Troll 2

Every Halloween night needs a good bad movie, and boy do the blokes from Nilbog deliver. Troll 2 succeeds so well at being awful it truly is in a class of its own. Just when you think the movie can’t get more preposterous it outdoes itself, whether it is Grandpa Seth stopping time and convincing his grandson to urinate on the supper table, Joshua discovering the big revelation that Nilbog is actually you-know-what spelled backwards or a man being seduced by the power of corn on the cob. The whole film has a storybook quality for it, like one of those run-on campfire stories that are entertained so much in Halloween lore. Witches, goblins and vegetables…three of the 31st’s scariest concoctions, all in one tasty Nilbog package.

My the Nilbog be with you as well, Rhett.

rhett

10-27-2004, 02:01 AM

I've been doing these lists for four years now, and after awhile you just want to start deviating away from the "classics". I've included NOTLD, TCM, Suspiria, The Beyond, Army of Darkness, etc. before, so this time I kind of wanted to go for less conventional (but still popular) picks. It is nice to see everyone's lists, keep 'em coming!

alright, i just ordered Shivers, Troll 1/2 and Popcorn. I was planning on getting Troll anyway, but i figured i'd get Shivers too since i like all of the other movies on the list. Popcorn was a last second addition since it comes out to be about $3 shipped at barnesandnoble.com with the BKSELLR $10 off code.

i always like your lists. even if i don't like every movie in them (though i do this year), they get me excited for halloween.

gavfredkrug04

10-27-2004, 05:30 AM

My list:

10. Hellraiser
9. Night of the Demons
8. An American Werewolf In London
7. Dawn of the Dead '78
6. Child's Play
5. Suspiria
4. A Nightmare On Elm Street
3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original, of course)
2. The Return of the Living Dead
1. Halloween

The Dark

10-27-2004, 08:28 AM

My top 10 this Halloween will be in no order as yet;
Re-Animator (All time favourite)
Bride of Re-animator (Excellent gory sequel)
The Eye (Real scary stuff from Thailand)
Evil dead 1 + 2 (Who can live without these?)
Dead & buried (Creepy classic)
The beyond (Hail Fulci, king of the gore)
Hell of the living dead (So bad, it's great)
28 days later (Best horror film in years)
Also some Argento, Bava etc be in order too. How many films can we fit into 24 hours?

These are probably the best ten i could think of right now theres alot more, but these are the ones i prefer the most.
Also a bunch of simpsons halloween specials are great my favorites are 1,3,4,6,14

satanservant

10-30-2004, 12:19 AM

10. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
9. The Fog
8. Last House on Dead End Street
7. Last House on the Left
6. Rabid
5. Videodrome
4. Dracula (1931)
3. At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul
2. The Dead Trilogy
1. Carnival of Souls

RyanPC

10-30-2004, 01:23 AM

My list:

10. The Beyond
9. The Brood
8. The Omen
7. Friday the 13th
6. Nightmare City
5. Last House on the Left
4. Suspiria
3. Zombi 2
2. Carrie (1976)
1. Dawn of the Dead

Normally I would have included Halloween, but that's gonna be on everyone's list. :D

thrashard76

11-02-2004, 04:56 PM

Top 10 Halloween Picks:

10. Vampire Hunter D
09. Bubba Ho-Tep
08. Young Frankenstein
07. American Werewolf In London
06. Hell of the Living Dead
05. Night Of The Demons
04. Biozombie
03. Audition
02. The Eye
01. Night Of The Living Dead